Guess They Were Right
by Northern One
Summary: All she'd ever want to do is fly planes. So when she's taken from her squadron and assigned to a top secret mission in a top secret organization, what does she do? She tries to make sense of it all, one alien life form at a time.
1. Chapter 1

Guess They Were Right.

Chapter One: Phoenix Rising

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything regarding Stargate Atlantis, the characters on the show, or any ideas related to the show. I only lay claim to Major Emily Shaw, as she is of my own design._

* * *

"Phoenix, all clear"

"Copy that Phoenix, you are clear to land"

"Copy that. Mama's comin' home early, boys"

A voice chuckled softly into her ears and she smiled, her hands flicking the switches and knobs almost absentmindedly as she brought the fighter jet into landing position. Within seconds she was touching down at 4 Wing CFB Cold Lake, Alberta, home of the 409 Nighthawks Tactical Fighter Squadron. The Nighthawks were the elite of all Canadian Air Force pilots; these were the pilots that flew the best fighter jets the country had to offer but more than that, they were the people that defended Canadian air space.

She taxied down the run way for a few minutes then came to rest right outside the hangar, where several cadets were flagging her to park. She came to a halt and then shut down the jet, the dim whirl of the engines quieting as the plane became dead. She pushed up her visor and detached her face mask, eager to get a breath of the fresh Alberta air. Although she loved flying more than anything, she also loved the feeling of the first breath of air after a really, really long flight. It took a few minutes but finally, her boots were back on the ground. Helmet in hand, she strode back into the hangar with the confidence that all fighter pilots exuded after a successful flight. She felt on top of the world, as she very well should.

Major Emily Shaw was one of the youngest female flight leaders ever to be appointed in the Canadian Air Force. After graduating from the Royal Military College with an undergraduate degree in Aeronautical Engineering and then both a masters and PhD in the same field, she was assigned to CFB Cold Lake where she quickly climbed the ranks to Major. Within five years of her appointment, she'd been promoted to Major and thus, Squadron Executive Office. It was good to be her.

"Major Shaw, nice flight. The trainees are coming along very well"

Two middle aged men strode out and met her just as she'd entered the hangar, her sunglasses barely pushed to the top of her head. Her eyes immediately went to the rank badges atop each man's shoulder but there was really no need. She recognized each of the men immediately.

"Lieutenant Colonel James, Colonel Rety" she said, coming to a stop as she stood rigid and saluted both of them.

"At ease, Major. I was just telling the Colonel that the rate at which these pilots are learning is quick remarkable" Lt. Colonel James said with an old world smile as she broke her stance and became at ease.

"Yes sir, Lt. Colonel. We've got an excellent team here this year and the pilots are very eager to learn. It's been almost too easy" she commented, withdrawing laughs from the other two participants in the conversation.

She knew both of the men on personal yet professional levels. When she arrived in Cold Lake just years ago, they'd both taken a special interest in her development. She'd been the only woman in the batch of thirty new pilots to be trained and when both men realized how exemplary her piloting skills were, they took her under their wings. Where other, higher ranking military officials were trying to stop women from becoming high ranking, both Lt. Colonel James and Colonel Rety cut down all the red tape necessary to allow her to become Major. She was now in charge of the entire 409 Nighthawks Squadron, and she'd learned everything she knew from the two men now presently standing in front of her.

"I'm glad you said that. Major Shaw, you've always appreciated being challenged, correct?" Colonel Rety inquired.

She shifted her helmet to her hip and nodded once.

"That is correct, Colonel"

The two men exchanged a glance, and then the Lt. Colonel spoke.

"Do you feel as if you are being challenged here, Major Shaw?"

She paused for a second. She'd been Squadron Leader for over two years now and she'd be turning thirty three in under a month. Although she fiercely enjoyed her position and the amount of responsibility given to her, she had to admit that the challenge of her position stopped about a year and a half ago when she'd got into the swing of things.

"I truly enjoy my position as Squadron Leader with the Nighthawks, Lt. Colonel. That being said, I do have to admit that my job does not pose much challenge to me anymore" she said in honesty.

The men exchanged another look but this time, they both had ever so faint smiles on their faces.

"We were hoping you were going to say that" Colonel Rety said.

She cocked her head slightly to the side and pursed her brow.

"Sir?"

Another look was exchanged and this time, Rety gave James a small nod.

"Colonel Rety and I got an interesting call this morning. From the CSA. Looks like NASA is recruiting for a new mission they have planned, something big. They want you" Lt. Colonel James said.

Her eyes shifted from the Colonel to the Lt. Colonel but her expression remained.

"Sir?"

"Major Shaw, it is of no secret to NASA that you are one of our best, if not the best fighter pilot Canada has to offer right now. That skill, coupled with the fact that you are both a woman and scholarly makes you a very desirable person to them. NASA asked specifically for you, something I don't think they've done in a very long time. It'd be prudent to think that they want you quite badly" the Lt. Colonel explained further.

"Did they give you any information about the mission?" she inquired, trying to make sense of it all. Why would NASA want her? They were a space agency and she was a fighter pilot.

"They could only tell us that you'd receive more information if you accepted a spot on their mission team" Colonel Rety said.

She looked down at her feet, head churning at a million miles an hour.

"Have they asked for anyone else?" she asked finally.

"Yes they've asked for three civilian scientists, a Captain Jacob Marks from CFB Trenton and a Major Toby Maguire from CFB Comox. But they insisted that they wanted you more than the others" the Colonel said, giving her a pointed look.

She looked between the men and then back out onto the horizon, her eyes whizzing around in a way that mimicked the way thoughts were whizzing around in her head.

"I know this must be very, very confusing for you Emily but opportunities like this do not come around every day. You've done quite a bit for the 409's during these past two years as Squadron Leader but both me and the Colonel have agreed that it is time for you to move onto your next challenge. We are assigning you to the NASA post, effective immediately" Lt Colonel James said, acknowledging his comrade with a head nod.

She nodded curtly once on instinct then looked down, trying to make sense of it all. She knew that the decision to go was not her's to make, but she didn't know whether or not she wanted to leave Cold Lake. She was a big deal here, whereas with NASA she would undoubtedly be just another major in a sea of other similarly ranked individuals. She didn't know whether or not she was ready to go back to being a nobody but apparently, she really didn't have a choice.

"Yes sir, Lt. Colonel sir" she said, giving another nod as she brought her eyes off the floor.

"You'll be flying out tomorrow, in Viper. We have a pilot in Colorado that will fly her back" Colonel Rety said as the men turned to leave.

"Colorado? Sir, NASA headquarters are in Washington, DC" she said, giving a quizzical look as the men halted.

"Yes Major Shaw, but they've requested you to report to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Boulder, tomorrow, by 0900. We'll see you off tomorrow morning" the Lt Colonel said as she saluted them both before they turned to leave.

She stood in spot for a few seconds as she watched them depart, trying to process what'd just happened. Her entire life had been flipped upside down in under 5 minutes and the best part was that, since she was military, she had to be okay with it. But was she?

"Yes, sir"

------

"How long are you going to be gone?"

She switched the phone to her other ear and cradled it in place with her shoulder as she continued packing.

"I don't know Mom, probably a while. I'm going to have all my mail forwarded to your place, okay?" she said, folding yet another pair of BDU's and putting them into her dark green camouflage duffle bag. She grabbed her final pair of fatigues, folded them, then put them in the bag as well. There. She was done.

"Sure honey, of course. Are we going to be able to see you before you leave?" her mother asked with a voice dripping in concern.

Her mother was never a fan of her desire to pursue a military career while her father had always supported her 100%. She was originally from a small, farmer's town just outside of Guelph called Elmira, but she'd always known that's not where she would be her entire life. By the time she turned 18 she was off to the Royal Military College for school and never looked back. She'd been one of the lucky military recruits, only being posted to one place instead of moving around every couple years. Her deftness as a pilot gave her career reassurance and there were only a handful of Hornet squadrons across Canada, the best being her very own Nighthawks. Although she was going to miss Cold Lake like hell, she was also quite excited to be moving on.

"Afraid not, I leave tomorrow" she said, pulling the drawstrings on the bag shut and then throwing it towards her front door. She moved onto her next bag which was half full with regular civilian clothes. She went over to her closet and pulled the dozen or so dresses, skirts, and blouses she had bought over the years and threw them on her bed, unsure of what to make of them.

"Okay then honey. Dad say good luck and call when you can, okay?" her mother said over the phone line, sounding as far away as she actually was.

Emily sat down on her bed and sighed, taking the phone from her shoulder and sighing tiredly, rubbing her eyes. She'd gotten home six hours ago and hadn't stop making adjustments to her life since. She had to cancel all her utilities, clean her apartment, get rid of anything that could spoil, and then pack. She also had to deal with a ton of administrative stuff back at the base tomorrow morning, such as promoting one of the captain's in the squadron to Major to take over her position as Flight Leader. There was so much to be done, she didn't know if she'd get it all done in time.

"I will Mom. Love you"

"Love you to Emily. Be safe"

---------

"So you're really leaving?"

She rolled her eyes behind her green aviators and shook her head, the long, straight sheet of mahogany coloured hair shaking in response to her head movements. She brushed some of it behind her ears and then turned around, her eyes finding the man who'd posed the query.

"Yeah Noah, I'm really leaving" she replied, pushing her sunglasses to the top of her head as she surveyed the young Captain in front of her.

She and Noah had always been close. The military didn't leave much room for personal relationships, so the few connections she had were with fellow military figures. Noah had been assigned to Cold Lake about a year after she'd arrived and quickly climbed the ranks, much like she did. They'd become close after she took a personal interest in his development and although they both felt as if they had something more than friendship, nothing had ever been made of it.

"Why?" he asked critically, his blue eyes piercing her with an unfaultable honesty. She'd always been a sucker for his eyes.

"I don't know Noah, you have to ask NASA. Anyways, that's not why I asked you to meet me here this morning. I'm promoting you, to Major. As soon as Viper's wheels leave the tarmac this morning, you're officially in charge of the 409's" she said, pulling the blue shoulder band with two thick gold bands surrounding a thinner band from her back BDU pocket. She removed his two band shoulder band and replaced it with the Major's insignia as the Captain mulled over the news of his promotion.

"I don't know if I'm ready for this, Major Sh---Emily" he said, catching himself at the last second as he realized that they were now the same rank. She smiled earnestly at him and then looked down.

"You're ready, Noah. I'd never promote you if I didn't think so. Major Noah Scott. Has a nice ring to it, if you ask me" she said, raising an eyebrow teasingly before reaching down to pick up her duffle bag. Promoting Noah was the last thing she had to do before heading off, and as she checked her wrist watch, she knew that her time on the base was up.

He beat her to it though, picking up her bag for her and slinging it over his own shoulder. Their eyes met for a few seconds, his sea foam blue ones locked on her brilliant hazel ones, and she smiled, breaking their eye lock as she looked down. She'd just looked back up at him when the alarm on her wrist watch beeped loudly, telling her that it was time to get Viper ready.

Viper was her plane, her very own CF-18 Hornet. It was said to be the best of the Canadian Forces' Hornet's, although no one quite new why. She liked to think that it was her piloting that made it such an exceptional plane, but that was just her. Viper had been the only plane she'd ever flown, although she suspected that was about to change. Noah accompanied her to the hangar and helped her prep the fighter jet, fuelling it and running through the system's diagnostic test before signalling to the technicians that the plane was good to go. After stashing her stuff, she hopped out of the cockpit and stood with Noah as she watched her plane get pulled from the hangar and onto the runway.

"I guess this is good bye" Noah said, turning to her.

She turned to face him as well and went up on her tip toes to give him a hug, her 5'8 frame dwarfed by his 6'4 one. As they released each other, she softly pressed her lips again his cheek and then returned to the balls of her feet, her sunglasses coming back over her eyes as she did so.

"I'll be seeing you" she said before picking up her helmet at the base of her feet and heading out. She'd barely taken three steps onto the tarmac when a slow yet loud cheer began to erupt from the hangar behind her. She turned to see the majority of the base standing behind her, hands coming together in cheer as she kept walking. She'd just reached Viper when she turned around, unable to keep the smile off her face as she surveyed the 500 or so odd personnel bidding her goodbye. She saluted them all and then climbed up the stairs to her cockpit, jumping in with an odd sense of nervousness.

She did the pre-flight diagnostic and when she was satisfied that Viper was in her best condition, she started the engines and signalled to the waiting techs that she was ready to taxi out. She steered Viper out onto the runway and then gave one last look at the base. Her eyes found Noah who was smiling at her genuinely before she sighed, took a breath, then focused on the task ahead.

---------

"Major Shaw?"

She jumped the last few stairs and landed on the tarmac, helmet in one hand, duffle bag in the other. She looked up from behind her aviators and saw a tall, friendly looking blonde woman in black military BDU's waiting for her just steps from where she was standing. Emily noticed a small, black name tag with rank and named in silver. _Colonel Samantha Carter_ she read as she approached the woman slowly, hitching her bag over her shoulder.

"Yes Ma'am" Emily said, using her free hand to salute the Colonel obidently. The woman smiled and then turned, beckoning Emily to follow.

"I'm Colonel Carter and Welcome to Boulder, Colorado. Have you ever been here before, Major?" the woman called over her shoulder as Emily followed her across the tarmac and towards a single black SUV parked waiting for them.

"No Ma'am" Emily replied in turn as they reached the vehicle. The woman climbed into the passenger's side while Emily took the back seat, swinging her bag in along with her helmet.

"It's a short drive to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex, but I'll take the time to debrief you. Did either Lieutenant Colonel James or Colonel Rety tell you anything about the mission you were drafted for?" the Colonel asked as the driver pulled away from Viper.

Emily paused for a second and took a final look at her plane before responding.

"No Ma'am, neither did. They just said that it had something to do with NASA" she said finally.

"Please, just call me Samantha and while yes, NASA did recruit you, you will not be working with the Space Agency. You'll be part of a military contingency in a space mission, but we'll get to that later. How was your flight?" Samantha asked.

"It went very well, thank you. I'm going to miss that plane, let me tell you" she commented, already wishing she was still behind the control's of Viper.

"I know what you mean. I haven't flown a fighter jet in months and I miss it every day" the colonel said as they made idle chit chat for about twenty more minutes. Before she knew it, they were pulling into the mountain complex, the large half moon opening to the complex as ominous as a black hole in space.

"We just need to go through security but that shouldn't take long" the colonel warned as they exited the SUV and began the trek on foot into the complex. Emily tried to recall all she knew about the mountain barrack; her knowledge of it went as far as knowing that the complex housed NORAD headquarters, NORAD being the North American Aerospace Air Defence, the program that kept North American air space safe. Other than that, she knew of no NASA affiliation with Cheyenne, but for some reason, she'd been told to report here.

They went through security and she was given a temporary ID and key card to get around the base. Samantha left her after security and told her to get settled into her room before she was briefed on her assignment, telling a nearby marine to show Emily to her bedroom.

After a complicated walk down several different hallways, they came to a dorm looking hallway and eventually to her room number, 141, before he left her to be. Unlocking the door, she had to acknowledging how underwhelming the room was; furnished with only a bed, a small nightstand and a lamp, it was clear that she wouldn't be spending much time here. Almost on cue, a hand appeared and rapped loudly on the door, snapping her to attention.

"Major Shaw?" a friendly looking man said as he appeared in her doorway, Emily's hand immediately going to her forehead to salute but stopping when she realized it was just another Marine.

"I'm to accompany you to your briefing, Ma'am" he said as he waited patiently in her doorway, Emily dropping her bag on her floor, chucking her helmet onto her bed, before shutting the door and locking it behind her. He lead her down another series of hallways until they came to a nicely furnished meeting room, with warm coloured walls and a large mahogany table centered in the middle of it. In the room already was Samantha and 2 people she didn't know. One was a burly man with greying hair and a harsh face while the other was a younger looking lady with shoulder length wavy brown hair and a gentle smile, which was currently being projected in her direction. She took a deep breath, cleared her head, and then put on a smile as she entered the room to learn about just what exactly she had been drafted to do here.

-----

It didn't really feel like much of anything. Some people had said it hurt like hell, others said it was like walking through a waterfall, but most people said it didn't feel like anything. Guess they were right.

Her foot hit solid ground on the other side and her body followed soon after, the momentum of her step bringing her through the gate and onto the other side. Her eyes immediately began sweeping the room, not getting far before she was overwhelmed with it all. It was a large enough room with corridors going off in either direction to her left and right and a large set of stairs about twenty yards or so from where she was standing. They lead up to an upper level where several people were looking down on her from balconies, people who all had skeptical albeit friendly enough looks on their faces. Her eyes found the eyes of one man in particular before her attention was brought back to exactly what had just happened.

"Major Shaw?" a voice said, breaking her from her revere. She looked to the man in front of her who was smiling expectantly and she nodded, her hand going to her forehead obediently as she saluted the higher ranking official in front of her. She was still so amazed by everything around her that she didn't even realize how good looking the man was before he spoke again.

"I'm Colonel John Sheppard. Welcome to Atlantis"

**((Author's Note****: I'd really appreciate any words you'd like to share so please, leave a review =] Hope you enjoyed it! ))**


	2. Chapter 2

Guess They Were Right.

Chapter Two: Took You Long Enough

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything regarding Stargate Atlantis, the characters on the show, or any ideas related to the show. I only lay claim to Major Emily Shaw, as she is of my own design._

* * *

It had taken a little over six weeks to get to where she was now, but the view from her bedroom balcony was so stunning that she, for a few minutes, actually forgot where she was and how she got there.

-------

_**Six Weeks Ago  
**_

"_Ah, Major Shaw, please enter" Samantha said as she entered the board room, a smile stuck on her face in an attempt to mask her own curiosity and nervousness._

"_Major Shaw this is General Jack O'Neill and Dr. Elizabeth Weir" Samantha introduced, Emily's hand immediately going to her brow to salute both higher ranking military officials"_

"_Colonel, General" she said, greeting both of them briskly before standing still at attention by the door._

"_At ease, major" the general barked, his voice laced with tenacity and bluntness. She relaxed and strode over to where the three other people were gathered, Emily outstretching a hand to give all of them a handshake._

"_It's a pleasure to meet all of you" she said politely, shaking everyone's hand before sitting down next to the dark haired woman, Dr. Weir, who still remained silent._

"_We're here to debrief you about the assignment you've been chosen for but before that we have some...administrative things to take care of" Samantha said, exchanging a curious look to both of her colleagues. Emily nodded and leaned forward, remainly silent but anxious._

"_First of all we are hereby updating you security clearance to top secret, as without top secret security clearance you will not be able to hear about or partake in the mission" the general said in a brisk tone, giving her a pointed look before leaning back in his chair and placing his feet up on the table._

_She nodded once but remained silent, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Dr. Weir was analyzing her with undeniably scrutiny._

"_Second of all you will be required to stay here in the complex for the next six weeks before your deployment in order to be deemed fit for duty. There will be a series of aptitude, dexterity, coordination, combat, firearm, tactical and physical tests for you to complete over the next 6 weeks in order to verify your abilities as outlined in your application" Samantha said, pulling out a few sheets of paper from a file folder that was in front of her._

_Emily straightened up a bit at the last part; application?_

"_I beg your pardon, Colonel, but did you say application?" Emily asked, wanting clarification. There must have been some misunderstanding; she hadn't applied for this position, she'd been told that she'd be drafted._

"_Yes Major, your application" Sam clarified, holding up the sheets of paper she'd just pulled out. _

"_Is there a problem?" General O'Neill butted in briskly, eyeing her with pointed disinterest._

"_Uh, No sir, at least, I hope not. I didn't apply to this position. My commanders told me I'd been drafted" she said slowly, hoping that this information in no way affected her position. She watched as the two military figures exchanged looks while Dr. Weir's eyes remained on her, as they had been for the past five minutes._

"_Well, you were a subject of interests to us, but you were never drafted" Sam said slowly, returning her eyes back to Emily._

"_God, we haven't drafted anyone since the last world war" the General interrupted, giving a definite eye roll before returning his attention else where._

"_What the General means is that after interest was expressed about you, an application was sent to your squadron in...Cold Lake. We expected that you would, if interested, fill it out and then return it. Can you look at this please and make sure all the information written is accurate?" Samantha asked, holding the papers out to her._

_She took them hastily and began reading them, thankful to realize that all of the information about her was correct. She'd just finished analyzing her own exceptionally forged signature when she looked up, both Sam and Dr. Weir's eyes locked on her._

"_Everything on here is correct, Colonel" she supplied, handing back the pages._

"_Then I see no need to alter the offer. I think that it is for administrative business for now, so I guess Dr. Weir can begin the debrief. Dr. Weir?" Sam said, surrendering the power of the conversation to the silent doctor._

_Eventually, the woman rose from her side and stood at the head of the table, papers in her hand that she eventually relinquished to Emily._

"_Major Shaw, I'm going to apologize in advance for whatever confusion the next thirty minutes might bring. Just know that everything will be explained in due course"_

_-----------_

"Settling in okay?" she heard a voice call from inside her room, causing her to turn around briskly. She saw Colonel Sheppard walking into her room and look around, his attention finally captured as she called to him from the balcony.

"Nice view, isn't it" he commented as he joined her on the terrace, the sun setting on the horizon making a stunning dusk sky full of pinks and oranges.

"Stunning" she murmured in response, taking a small glance to her left to where Sheppard was standing, his green eyes pointed out onto the horizon and the setting sun.

She had to admit, he was extremely good looking. Tall with an athletic build, short, neatly tousled brown hair, and unique green eyes. Her eyes wandered to his nametag and she immediately slapped herself repeatedly in the face in her head. _He's your commanding officer!_ She mentally reminded herself before clearing her throat.

"Is there something you wanted, Colonel?" she asked with unavoidable briskness, turning to face him.

"No, just wanted to see how you were. How's your room?" he asked as she gestured for him to follow her in. They stood at the centre of the room and looked around.

"Well, let's just say this room makes my room back at Cold Lake look like a broom closet" she joked, giving a little military humour she knew he'd appreciate. He laughed along with her and nodded.

"So you were stationed at Cold Lake, Alberta?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest as he waited for a response.

"Yes I was. Flight Leader, Squadron Commander" she said, laying out her credentials. He smiled and nodded in appreciation.

"Must have been hard to leave behind" he commented.

Immediately, Noah's face popped into her head.

"It was. Harder than I thought it'd be" she said, looking away from his eyes and back out the window.

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds before he spoke.

"Anyways, I'll let you unpack. We'll debrief you on everything else tomorrow morning" he said before heading towards the door, biding her goodnight before leaving her to be.

She stood at the centre of the room for a few more seconds, thinking about everything that had happened.

--------

"_Wait, are you saying there are actual aliens out there?" she asked in a demanding tone, wanting to make sure that she heard the doctor correctly._

"_We prefer the term alternate life forms but yes, there are essentially aliens living both the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies" Dr. Weir responded diplomatically, trying to keep a small smile off of her lips._

"_For years now, we've been exploring this galaxy, the Milky Way, here at the SGC. Stargates, the portal devices that we travel through, in this galaxy have seven digits or symbols per say unique to each and every gate; almost like a telephone number. However, about five years ago a scientist here discovered the gate address to a Pegasus Stargates that had eight symbols. Since then, there has been an ongoing mission based in Atlantis to explore that galaxy, potentially unlocking gates to even further, distant galaxies. Your assignment, Major Shaw, is to join the military force at Atlantis as they continue to explore the Pegasus galaxy" Samantha said, cutting in._

"_Wait. If they are already there, why do they need more military personnel?" she asked, her eyes going from Sam to Dr. Weir and even to the General._

_She watched as the three of them exchanged looks before Dr. Weir spoke._

"_We recently lost one of our team leaders. Another major stepped up to assume the role and now we have lots of marines with very few authority figures. We're bringing in another Major, a Captain, and several civilian scientists to join us at Atlantis" Dr. Weir explained again, with such diplomacy that it was beginning to unnerve her._

"_Lost?"_

_Another look was exchanged._

"_He died in action"_

_------_

Unpacking didn't take that long. Besides the duffle bag she brought with her from home, she had another duffle bag full of new military fatigues and other belongings she sent for while at Colorado. After three hours of settling into her new quarters, her wrist watched beeped to signal it was nine in the evening and almost mechanically, her stomach let out a growl. She'd just taken a step out of her door when she realized she had no idea where the mess hall was.

She remembered the ear piece Sheppard had given her when she'd arrived so she pulled it out of her pocket, slipping it over her ear and activating it by touching it.

"Colonel Sheppard?" she asked aloud, feeling like an idiot.

Silence.

"Sheppard's busy" a gruff voice responded a few seconds later, so clear and loud it was as if he'd been standing right beside her.

"Oh. Uh...alright then. Who is this?" she asked, imaging how psychotic she must look just standing in a hallway walking to herself.

"Ronan, who's this" the gruff voice answered with bluntness and a touch of rudeness. She was taken a bit aback; she didn't even know who the hell this guy was, so why was he being so mean?

"Major Shaw. Look, do you know how to get to the mess hall? I'm new here" she said, looking around the hall once more.

More silence.

"Go straight. Take a left. Then another left. Then a right"

She looked ahead of her and saw a hallway. She would have liked more precise directions, but something told her that if she asked for them, he wouldn't give them.

"Thanks" she said before starting on her way, not surprised to hear silence instead of a 'you're welcome'.

It took her longer than expected, but after several wrong turns and eventually having to ask a passerby how to get there, she found her way to the mess hall. She'd just picked finished picking up an apple, two bananas and a bottle of water when she was startled by someone's voice.

"Took you long enough"

It was the same, gruff voice that had spoken to her over the ear wig and as she spun around, she finally put a face to the name. It was the man on the balcony from this morning whose eyes she'd caught after she'd stepped through the gate. He was so unique and distinct from all the others that even up close, she had a hard time looking away from him. He was a tall, full-of-brute-strength kind of man with long brown dreadlocks, tanned skin and eyes so sharp she couldn't tell whether or not what she saw was kindness or cruelty.

"Well, you didn't exactly hand me a map with you directions there" she said sarcastically, hoping to withdraw a laugh from him.

She didn't.

"I'm Major Shaw, by the way. Emily Shaw" she said, sticking out her hand. He looked down at her hand, up at her, and then repeated that movement once more before replying.

"Ronan. Dex" he said finally, outstretching his own hand as he took her's in a crushing handshake.

"Pleasure to meet you, Ronan. Anyways, it's late and I being debriefed tomorrow so I better get going" she said, looking away from him for the first time as she side stepped away from him to head towards the door.

She'd just reached the doorway when she looked over her shoulder, a little unnerved to find him watching her as she retreated back to the confines of her bedroom.

**((Author's Note****: Thanks for all the great response! Please keep reviewing, it really means a lot!))**


	3. Chapter 3

Guess They Were Right.

Chapter Three: Isolation.

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything regarding Stargate Atlantis, the characters on the show, or any ideas related to the show. I only lay claim to Major Emily Shaw, as she is of my own design._

* * *

She didn't sleep much that night, tossing and turning as she replayed the information Dr. Weir had told her about the mission over and over again in her head.

--------

"_So these things, they literally suck the life from you?" she asked incredulously after three hours of debriefing, her brain beginning to tire and ache with all the new information._

"_The wraith, they are called, and yes, so to speak. They accelerate the lifecycle of your body's cells, causing rapid aging and eventually decomposition. They suck the life force out of you, in common vernacular. But they are just one of the enemies we face in the Pegasus galaxy. Our presences there has caused quite an uproar so we're trying to diffuse the situation as quickly and easily as possible" Dr. Weir explained as she sat down, taking a long drink from her mug before speaking again._

"_It's all just a lot to take in" Emily said finally, shaking her head as she did a quick run through of everything she'd just learned. Apparently there was this thing called a Stargate that could take her to different planets and even galaxies where alien life forms and even humans lived. She was going to an entire different galaxy to take on a position in charge of a team of marines where they'd be fighting creatures that could suck the very essence of her life out of her._

_This was not what she'd had in mind when the colonel's had said NASA._

_After a few more minutes of a brief overview of her expected duties at Atlantis, she was set back to her room to mull things over before rejoining the three of them for lunch. On her way back to her room, she felt as if her head was going to explode. So much had just been thrown at her that she was having a hard time sorting through it all. She didn't know if she could take all they were saying at face value._

_That would mean blind faith, and if it's one thing Emily never did, it was leap without looking._

_-------_

"Major Shaw, welcome. How was your sleep?" Dr. Weir asked in greeting as at 0800 the next morning, Emily showed up at the briefing room ready for round two of overwhelming information.

"I was perfectly comfortable doctor, but sleep just seemed to escape me completely last night" she replied, smiling warmly at the commander who was seated at the centre of a semi circle conference table. Emily's eyes quickly swept the other people seated at the table; Colonel Sheppard, a stunning dark skinned woman with a gentle face, an annoyed looking man with what seemed to be little patience, and the scruffy, tribal looking man who'd given her shoddy directions to the mess hall last night; Ronan Dex, if she remembered correctly. She kept her eyes on his for a few seconds before taking her seat beside Dr. Weir, the doors to the meeting room closing as she sat down.

"Teyla, Dr. McKay, Ronan. I'd like you to meet Major Emily Shaw, our newest addition to our military personnel here on Atlantis. Would you like to say a bit about yourself in introduction?" Dr. Weir offered, looking pleasantly at everyone around the table. A few awkward silent seconds passed before someone spoke.

"As Dr. Weir said, I am Teyla Emmagan. I am Athosian, a race of people that are native to the Pegasus galaxy. My people once lived on a planet called New Athos until the wraith began to cull there. My people now reside on this planet, on the mainland" the pleasant dark skinned woman said in introduction, bowing her head down to Emily in acknowledgment.

About an minute passed this time before someone spoke.

"Rodney, do you have anything to say?" Dr. Weir said, giving the man to her left a pointed look as he picked at his fingernails, reclined in his chair.

"What was that? Oh, right" he said, looking up from his hand and sitting upright in the chair as he looked quickly around the room.

"My name is Dr. Rodney McKay, head of research and development here on Atlantis. I'm from Fort McMurray, Alberta and I'm allergic to citrus" he said with dripping disinterest, barely looking in her direction before going back to his fingernails.

Emily exchanged a look with Dr. Weir and watched as the commander rolled her eyes. Now, all attention turned to Ronan who was staring blankly at Emily.

"I'm Ronan Dex" he said, offering nothing else.

When it became plainly obvious that nothing else was going to be shared by anyone else, Emily decided to share a bit about herself.

"Well, uh, my name is Emily Shaw. I'm a CF-18 Fighter Pilot previously stationed with the 409 Nighthawks in Cold Lake, Alberta. There's really not much else to me than that" she said, sending a smile to everyone around the table but only receiving one back from Teyla. Even Col. Sheppard's attention was else where.

It was around this time that a faint sense of isolation, apathy, and insecurity set in. Here she was, on a planet so far from home she could literally say she wasn't even in the same galaxy as home, and despite the fact that she was sitting within a room full of people, she felt totally and utterly alone. Silence set in amongst them and the feeling in her chest grew, the quiet and social awkwardness of everyone doing nothing to help the situation.

She excused herself from the room after a minute of silence, mumbling something about a headache to Dr. Weir before rising from her chair and heading towards the door. She was halfway to her bedroom when she began cursing herself, hating her own stupidity about not realizing how bad of an idea it was for her to come here. From what Dr. Weir had told her about the mission in Atlantis, they'd been on this base for several months already. What business did she, an outsider, have with them? She didn't know how to diffuse into a social situation like this; she could tell just by the dynamics in the conference room that everyone already had tangled webs of connection with each other. Why did she ever think she'd be able to penetrate that?

She strode into her room and made her wait straight to the balcony, breathing in the fresh sea breeze as if it were the only medication she needed. After a few seconds of peace, more worry set in. What was she suppose to do? She'd just gone from being an vital resource with the 409's to a lowly outsider in just 6 weeks. Of all the scenarios she'd come up with in her head of what Atlantis would be like, she never once thought of one where she'd feel so isolate.

She couldn't have been standing there long, but before she knew it, Sheppard was at her side, standing beside her with his hands on the balcony railing, leaning forward just like she was.

Suddenly, she didn't feel so lonely anymore.

"You alright, Major?" he said eventually when they'd both finally had enough of the ocean view.

She looked over at him and gave him a friendly smile, finding it inescapably hard to look away from those stunning green eyes of his. _Colonel, damn it. Stop it!_ She cursed to herself.

"Please, call me Emily. And yes, I'm fine" she said cordially, giving him a quasi sincere as she returned her attention to the sea.

"I know it's probably pretty tough trying to navigate your way through everything but you know, it gets easier with time. I still remember the day I got drafted for this mission. I'd been tasked with flying General O'Neill out to the Ancients Weapons platform in the Antarctic and the next thing I knew, I was walking through the Stargate" he said, adverting his eyes back out to the clear blue oceans as he spoke.

"It's just very overwhelming. How did you deal with it all?" she asked him, speaking freely even though she hadn't asked permission to.

He took a second to think before he started talking.

"I didn't really have time to deal with it. Things were pretty bad when we got here so there really was no time to sit back and think about where I was. I got to work and that very same day I became head of the military presence here on Atlantis" he said, this time turning to look at her. She could sense by the look in his eyes there was a story there, but she didn't pretty it. They'd known each other all of less than 24 hours and she knew her place.

She looked at him for a few seconds and then nodded, looking back out onto the sea.

A few seconds past, the only sound the gentle crashing of the waves as they collided with the base of the city, before he spoke.

"Tell you what. Me and my team are heading out in a few hours to go check in on a science team we have on a planet doing research about some plant thing. Why don't you join us? You know, get a feel for things" he offered, releasing his grip on the railing and standing up straight, turning to face her.

She looked at him for a few seconds and then nodded, a small smile coming to her face.

"I'd like that"

------------

"EVERYBODY DOWN!"

She'd barely heard his order over the rapid staccato of Atlantis' personnel's P90s and the wicked shriek of the wraith stunners. Smoke clung to the air around them all as she hit the ground, a blue bolt of energy hitting the trunk of a tree right above her in the exact spot her head had been less than two seconds prior. She flipped over in the direction of where the shot originated and aimed her gun, firing off two rounds when she saw a hideous creature with a mask for a face coming running towards her. When that didn't take it down, she fired another five and then another five. Eventually, the creature went down, black liquid pouring from its wounds like blood.

It had all happened so fast. They'd stepped through the gate less than an hour ago and now they were battling for their lives. The five of them, Sheppard, herself, Dr. McKay, Teyla, and Ronan had arrived on MA5-395 about thirty five minutes ago, and a twenty minute trek to where the science team was supposed to have been based provided ample opportunity for the other four team members to talk amiably about inside jokes and past experiences while Emily remained silent. When they'd finally arrived at the camp's coordinates, they'd barely had time to even recognize the noticeable absence of humans when a horrible screech began infiltrating their ears, putting the other four on high panic. She was about to ask what that awful noise was when she'd heard the one word she'd been dreading since she'd first heard it.

"Wraith"

The next thing she knew, Sheppard was yelling for a full retreat back to the gate, the five of them running as fast as possible to cover the distance between themselves and the gate before finally succumbing to the unavoidable battle ahead of them. The crossfire began and she fired shots into the fray, unknowing to whether or not the bullets made contact with anything as her primary focus was to find cover. Now she was on a forest floor, shots and stunner beams going off around her like a deafening opera as she took in her first kill on Atlantis. Less than 24 hours into her post, and she already had blood on her hands. Then she remembered just exactly who the Wraith were and any semblance of guilt was erased from her mind.

She flipped back over on her belly and peered through the dense bush she was laying in, noticing straight in front of her another wandering masked wraith. She didn't make the mistake of under anticipating the number of rounds needed and fired off as many shots as it took to finally bring the thing down. Slowly, she got to her feet and peered around, her eyes finding Teyla and Ronan holding ground behind two separate tree stumps about fifty yards from her. She was just about to signal one of them when she saw a cloaked creature with long white hair and pale skin phantom its way up behind Ronan. She fired directly at it and took it down with 5 bullets, Ronan looking behind him startlingly as the creature fell back. He followed the direction of the bullets to her and glared for a second before returning to battle.

She didn't really know how, but soon enough she heard Sheppard's voice calling them towards the gate, Teyla and Ronan both taking off immediately as Emily followed quickly behind. They were at the gate within a minute and ran the distance, four of them backwards running as they fired shots towards the chasing wraith, stepping through the gate and arriving at Atlantis a second later, the portal closing them off in safety.

They all took a few seconds to gain their breath, deep pants being given off by all of them as they tried to fill their lungs with air. She put her hands on her air to ease her breathing and turned around, facing the staircase leading up to the control room as the four others continued to breathe heavily.

She was just about to say something when Sheppard came over to her side, putting a hand on her shoulder and nodding once to her.

"I don't know if I already said this or not Major but...Welcome to Atlantis"

**((Author's Note: Hey everyone. Thank you so much for the fantastic response! It really does mean a lot. Anyways, this was just sort of an introduction to battle chapter to set up some events I forsee occuring very soon. In response to a reader's question/comment about Emily's call sign: There is a legitamite reason as to why that's her call sign, and that too will be revealed in due course. Please keep reviewing and any comments/suggestions you guys have would be awesome! Thanks ))**


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